Failure to Pay: The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin's Municipal Courts

Our report unveils the scope of debt collection practices in Wisconsin’s municipal courts.

Municipal courts in Wisconsin, which do not enforce criminal penalties, have gone so far as to order the arrest and jailing of people who fail to pay their municipal tickets or fall behind on their payments, in addition to other debt-based sanctions.

In 2023, municipal courts in Wisconsin collected a total of $35,128,718. The issuance of these types of sanctions create a two-tiered system of punishment: one for those with financial means and one for those without.

Read or download Failure to Pay below.